Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Showcase: Taurox Alpha (Wheeled Taurox)

The Taurox Alpha is thought to be a distant relative of the more common Taurox and Taurox Prime, hence its name. STC databanks show obvious similarities between the vehicles, and differences. Whereas the Taurox and its up-armoured brother the Prime are front line combat vehicles, the Alpha is thought to have been a second line support vehicle. Taurox Alphas are prime-movers; regularly used for transportation of goods and men over long distances. Some have also found their way into non-battlefield roles; seeing use as commercial vehicles in the weapons production and chemical industries (hive gangers have been known to steal Taurox Alphas for the same, albeit black market, purposes), as well as in local Arbite and PDF forces where funding from the Imperium less frequent or less substantial than for other planets. The main difference between the Alpha and more common variants is the drive-train. Whilst the Taurox uses four track units, the Taurox Alpha uses six wheels with studded armoured tyres. Whilst this offers a significant speed advantage on roads and flat surfaces, the Alpha loses out against its common brother when it comes to much rougher terrain. The Alpha is capable of tough off-roading, but is more likely to get stuck than tracked variants. Also, as an open-topped vehicle it offers less protection for occupants should it get stuck.The storage facilities on Vraks hold several hundred examples of the Taurox Alpha, all of which have been put to use. Most are used as cargo transports and towing vehicles, but a number are used as assault vehicles, disgorging squads of Vraksian renegades onto the battlefield, and proving covering fire with their accurate Twin-linked Autocannons. Some squads prefer the speed of the Taurox alpha over the more armoured but lumbering Chimeras.

The Taurox, the first vehicle that was induced into the Vraksian militia, is now complete; resulting in my first finished unit (the Armoured Fists).

This particular camo scheme is from IA: Masterclass volume One, and each step in that book as followed here. The camo is mainly Codex Grey, Desert Earth (Vallejo) and a lot of masking tape, with Khaki mixed in as a highlight.

I went for a heavily corroded look, much like the style in the book. Thinned burnt umber oil washes were added to the tank, and were worked into the paint once dried. A coat of matt varnish seals the deal.
Since this army is an early-Vraks force, and since many of those who fought didn’t know it was for the Dark Gods, I’ve kept the chaotic icons to a minimum, and no gore. A small chaos star was added to the gunner’s front armour, and a smaller spiked icon on the other side of the truck.

This Alpha Legion icon is one from the book. I added a couple of these, to show which legion is influencing this force. All in all, these small icons and effects make for a subtle but effective impression of this army’s loyalties.

The basing scheme for my army is snow and mud, so I transferred this to the model. I researched pictures of truck tyres in snow, and made sure to apply my snow-effect in a similar fashion when it came to the wheels. Most of the snow is compacted in-between the treads, with some on the wheel hubs.

A few patches of snow were added to the bodywork. I made sure to avoid covering the engine, as this area would get hot; meaning no settling of snow.

A bit has been added to the interior to remind us that the passengers are open to the elements

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All-in-all, this is one of my best vehicles, and I cannot wait to apply this paint scheme to the Malcador.